Method and apparatus for packaging articles



Nov. 21, 1939. L. L. SALFISBERG 2,180,966

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Nov. 17, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l ORNEY Nov. 21, 1939. L SALFISBERG I METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Fiied Nov. 17, 1958.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 21, 1939.

L. SALFISBERG 2.180,966

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Nov. 17, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 \x filllllllllll i5 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Leroy L. Salfisberg, South Orange, N. J., assignor to Ivers-Lee Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application November 17, 1938, Serial No. 240,939

21 Claims.

This invention relates to the packaging or wrapping of articles in containers formed of sheet material, for example, paper, Cellophane, "Pliofilm, and especially sheet material which itself is thermoplastic and can be softened by heat or has a thermoplastic or fusible coating, whereby overlapping layers of the material can be fused or caused to adhere together by application of heat and pressure to form a seal.

The invention is directed particularly to packaging articles in packaging material which is inherently flimsy or easily crumpled sothat the material is not self-sustaining edgewise and it is diificult to maintain juxtaposed layers-thereof in spaced relation; and a prime object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of and apparatus for packaging articles in such material whereby the articles can be deposited between spaced juxtaposed layers of the packaging material accurately, easily and rapidly.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved method of and apparatus for packaging that shall embody continuous feeding of the packaging material and successive feeding of the articles whereby juxtaposed layers of the material shall be held accurately and smoothly in spaced relation and the articles shall be deposited accurately and in succession between said layers.

Further objects are to provide packaging apparatus of this character which shall include novel and improved means for feeding and holding layers of packaging material in vertically spaced superposed relation, and novel and improved means for successively depositing articles between said layers.

Another object is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described especially adapted to the packaging of spherical or oval articles or other articles which have a tendency to roll or become displaced by gravity, whereby such articles can be deposited between layers of the packaging material and held in predetermined position against movement between the layers as the packaging material is sealed around the articles.

Other objects are to provide such packaging apparatus which shall include novel and improved means for sealing the layers of packaging material around the articles; to provide novel and improved means for feeding the packaging material in a continuous strip by tension applied to the strip through cooperatingrollers pressing between them the sealed portions of the strip containing the articles, whereby the articles or packages shall not be damaged, and to obtain other advantages and results as will be brought out by the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which corresponding and like parts are designated throughout the several views by the same reference characters Figure 1 is a schematic front elevation of a packaging machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a similar view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1. i

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure '4.

Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevation of the sealing rollers viewing the same from the line '|'I of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is an end elevation of the rollers shown in Figure 7. I

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 9-9 of Figure 3.

Figure 10 is a similar view on the line Ill-I0 of Figure 8.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a strip of completed packages.

Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional view on the line l2-l2 of Figure 1, and 5 Figure 13 is a vertical sectional view on the line I 3l3 of Figure 12.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates a supply roll of packaging material, for example chlorinated rubber otherwise known as "Pliofilm, or Cellophane having a thermoplastic coating on one side thereof, or other suitable material. The material is in the form of a 'strip S which passes from the supply roll over a tween guide rollers 5, past an article feeding and depositing mechanism Bto a sealing mechanism C which includes rollers I3 and I4 that receive the layers between them, from which the strip passes between feeding rollers D and thence to a severing mechanism E for dividing the strip into sections.

The strip S of packaging material is fed or drawn from the supply roll A under tension by 55 the sealing rollers l3, l4 and rollers D which receive the strip between them and are driven in opposite directions by any suitable means (not shown). In this way, the layers 3 and 4' of the packaging material are continuously linearly fed to the article feeding and depositing mechanism B and through the sealing mechanism C.

The layers 3 and 4 are held in vertically spaced superposed relation with the space between them normally less than the thickness of an article and as they pass the article feeding and depositing mechanism B, the layers are further separated and the articles are inserted between the layers in a horizontal plane and in a direction intersecting the direction of linear movement of the layers. As shown, the article feeding and depositing mechanism B includes a carrier 6 that is shown in the form of a disc rotatable over a table I by a vertical shaft 8 journaled in a bracket 9 secured to the frame or main casing F of the machine. The shaft 8 is driven from any suitable source of power and in any suitable manner, for example by intermeshing beveled gears Ill. The peripheral portion of the disc 6 rotates in horizontal plane between the layers 3 and 4 of the packaging material so as to hold the layers spaced apart a distance greater than the thickness of an article and has a plurality of pockets for the articles, the pockets being shown in the present instance as in the form of notches ll that are equi-distantly spaced circumferentially of the periphery of the disc. The carrier disc 6 is rotatable in the same direction and at about the same speed as the linear movement of the layers 3'and 4 so as to move the articles in an arcuate path that intersects; the path of movement of the layers.

The articles to be packaged are shown as circular tablets G that are fed from a suitable hopper H through a discharge chute I to the table I in the path of movement of the carrier disc 6 so that as the disc rotates, one of said tablets or articles is deposited in each pocket or notch II. To prevent displacement of the tablets from the table I, thetable may have a keeper or guard flange l2.

The pocket notches l I open between the layers 3 and 4 in the direction of movement of the layers as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 6, and upon rotation of the carrier disc, the articles G are moved into frictional contact with at least one of the layers 3 and automatically successively removed from the pockets as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 6, the articles moving by and with the layers 3 and 4 after they leave the carrier disc. I

After the articles or tablets G have been deposited, the layers 3 and 4 are sealed together to encase the articles between them. For this purpose, the sealing mechanism C includes the pair of rollers l3 and I4 which frictionally contact with and receive the layers 3 and 4' between them,- the rollers being mounted on and rotated in opposite directions by shafts l from any suitable source of power. The rollers have complemental registering recesses Hi to provide clearance spaces between them for the articles G between the layers 3 and 4, the recesses being spaced circumferentially of the rollers at distances corresponding to the spacing of the tablets G between the layers of packaging material. Between the recesses IS the peripheries of the rollers have circumferential grooves or other suitable roughened or serrated surfaces I1 for transversely crimping or corrugating and pressing together the layers 3 and 4 at 20 between two adjacent articles, and at their ends corresponding to the free edges of the layers 3 and 4, the rollers are formed with suitable peripheral serrated or roughened surfaces I8 to press together and crimp or corrugate the longitudinal edge portions of the layers as at 2|.

Where the material of the layers is heat-sealable, the rollers are heated by suitable electrical heating devices IQ of known character which heat the packaging material or the thermoplastic coating thereon at the same time that pressure is applied to the layers by the serrated surfaces l1 and I8 of the rollers. Thus each article is sealed between the layers, being surrounded at three sides with heat-sealed zones 20 and 2| of the layers and at the other side by the fold 22 between the layers.

The invention is especially important in the packaging of spherical, oval or other articles which have a tendency to roll by action of gravity. In packaging such articles, the articles are caused to frictionally contact with both layers of the packaging material as the articles are released from and deposited by the carrier between the layers so that said frictional contact will hold the articles in predetermined position against gravitational movement between the layers. In such cases, the pocket notches II of the carrier disk preferably will open through both the top and bottom of the disk as shown in the drawings to permit contact of the articles with both layers of the packaging material as the articles are deposited between the layers.

After the articles have been packaged as above described, the strip carrying the articles is fed to the severing or shearing mechanism E which may be of any suitable construction. For the purpose of illustration, this shearing mechanism is shown as comprising a shear plate 23 secured to the frame or casing F of the machine and having a transverse opening 24 through which the strip carrying the articles passes. At the under side of the shear plate is reciprocably mounted a shear blade 25 that is carried by a yoke 26 supported at opposite sides by levers 21 that are pivotally mounted at 28 on the frame of the machine. One of the levers 21 may be a bell crank and be connected at 29 to an operating member 30 driven from any suitable source of power.

In operation, the package strip passes continuously through the opening 24 and the shear blade 25 is reciprocated transversely of the opening so as to cooperate with the edges of the opening and shear or sever the layers 3 and 4 between the articles G. The operation of the shearing mechanism may be properly timed with respect to the travel of the package strip so that the strip may be severed at the desired point to produce sections containing one or more of the articles.

The strip S of packaging material is withdrawn from the supply roll A by the sealing ro-llers l3 and I4, and the rollers D cooperate with the rollers I3 and I4 to maintain the package strip under tension and feed the strip to the shearing mechanism E. The rollers D are provided with closely spaced radially projecting bristles 3| to insure yielding contact with opposite sides of the package strip containing the articles so as to maintain the strip under tension and at the same time insure against crushing or other injury to the articles or packages.

This is important where the packaging strip is formed of thermo-plastic material such as Pliofilm which is slightly elastic and which in the package strip is soft between the sealing mechanism C and the rollers D. With the rollers D formed with a yielding surface such as that provided by the bristles 3i, the tension on the 5 package strip can be finely adjusted to compensate for any softened condition of the packaging material.

To accelerate hardening and cooling of the packaging material after it leaves the sealing mechanism C, jets of air may be directed on the package strip through nozzles K.

In some instances it may be desirable to expedite tearing of the package strip transversely between the articles to facilitate removal of the articles from the packages, and for this purpose, one sealing roller l3 may be provided with radially projecting circumferentially spaced blades 32 cooperating with correspondingly "spaced notches 33 in the other roller for forming notches 34 in the edge of the package strip as shown in Figures 8, 10 and 11.

While I have shown a certain order of particular steps, and the machine as embodying certain details of structure, it should be understood that this is primarily for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the-invention, and that many modifications and changes may be made in the method and machine without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The steps in a method of packaging articles, consisting in continuouslyfeeding layers of packaging material in ahorizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, conveying articles from a point remote from said layers and inserting and releasing the articles in succession between said layers at a certain point in the travel of the layers and in a horizontal direction that intersects the direction of movement of said layers with the articles in frictional contact with at least one layer, whereby the articles after insertion and release are moved in succession from said point by and with said layers, and thereafter sealing said layers around said articles.

2. The steps in a method of packaging articles, consisting in feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation with the space between said layers normally less than the thickness of each article, further separating said layers at a certain point in the travel of the layers, and inserting an article between said layers at said certain point in a horizontal direction transverse of the direction of feeding of said layers and releasing the article in frictional contact with both layers, whereby the article after insertion thereof between said layers is held against movement in all directions relative to the layers by said frictional contact of the article with the layers.

3. The steps in a method of packaging articles consisting incontinuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in vertically spaced super of packaging material in vertically spaced superposed relation, feeding articles successively in the same direction as movement of said layers and in a horizontal plane in an arcuate path that intersects between said layers the linear path of movement of said layers between the layers, positioning said articles between said layers and in frictional contact with at least one thereof, and releasing said articles for movement linearly by and with said layers in predetermined spaced relation to each other.

5. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, a source of supply for articles to be packaged, mechanism having an article carrying portion movable from said source of supply horizontally to a certain point in the travel of said layers and into and out of the space between said layers in a direction transverse to the direction of feeding of said layers to convey and deposit the articles between the layers in frictional contact with at least one thereof.

6. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in vertically spaced superposed relation, and a carrier for the articles including a disk rotatable in a horizontal plane and having equidistantly circumferentially spaced notches in its periphery to receive articles and movable through the space between said layers in a path intersecting the path of movement of the layers, said carrier feeding the articles between said layers in frictional contact with at least one thereof, and means for rotating said carrier at a peripheral speed approximately equal to the linear speed of movement of said layers, whereby the articles are automatically removed from said pockets and deposited between and moved with said layers.

'7. A packaging machine including means for longitudinally folding a strip of packaging material into two layers, means for continuously linearly feeding said strip with said layers in vertically spaced superposed relation, a carrier for articles including a disk rotatable in a horizontal plane and having equidistantly circumferentially spaced notches in its periphery to receive articles, the peripheral portions of said disk being movable through the space between said layers in an arcuate path to feed said articles in equidistantly spaced relation between said layers and into frictional contact with at least one thereof, means for rotating said carrier disk at a peripheral speed approximately equal to the linear speed of movement of said strip, and in the direction of movement thereof, said notches opening in said direction between said layers whereby the articles are automatically removed from said pockets and deposited between and moved with said layers, and means for sealing said layers together between said articles and along the longitudinal free edges of the layers.

8. In a packaging machine, means for supplying layers of packaging material in spaced opposed relation to each other, means for depositing material to be packaged between said layers, means for sealing said layers together to encase said material, and means for feeding, said layers including a pair of opposed parallel rotatable rollers to receive between them said sealed layers having the material between them, said rollers having radially projecting bristles on their peripheries to exert yielding pressure on said layers, and means for rotating said rollers in opposite directions.

9. In a packaging machine, the combination with means for forming a package strip that includes a plurality of layers of material sealed together at certain points to form a plurality of material-containing compartments spaced 1ongitudinally of the strip, of means for feeding said layers and package strip including a pair of opposed parallel rotatable rollers to receive between them said package strip having the materialcontaining compartments, said rollers having yielding surfaces to exert yielding pressure on said layers, and means for rotating said rollers in opposite directions.

, 10. The steps in a method of packaging articles consisting in continuously feeding a strip of packaging material horizontally linearly, folding said strip longitudinally into vertically spaced superposed layers with the space between the layers normally less than the thickness of an article,

further separating said layers at a certain point in the travel of the layers, and inserting an article between said layers at said certain point in a horizontal direction transverse of the direction of feeding of said layers and releasing the article in frictional contact with both layers, whereby the article after insertion thereof between said layers is held against movement in all directions relative to the layers by said frictional contact of the article with the layers. and thereafter sealing said layers together transversely between said articles and along the longitudinal edges opposite the fold in said strip.

11. The steps in the method set forth in claim I 2 with the addition that said articles are fed in an arcuate path that intersects between said layers the linear path of movement of said layers.

12. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, mechanism having a portion movable into and out of the space between said layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers, said portion of said mechanism having article carrying pockets to deposit articles between said layers and said pockets being moved between said layers in a horizontal arcuate path that intersects the linearpath of movement of said layers.

13. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, mechanism having a portion movable into and out of the space between said layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers, said portion of said mechanism having article carrying pockets that are moved between said layers in a horizontal arcuate path that intersects the linear path of movement of said layers, said pockets being so constructed and the movements of said pockets and said layers being so related that said articles are brought into frictional contact with at least one layer and automatically removed from said pockets.

14. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, mechanism having a portion movable into and out of the space between said layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers, said portion having article carrying notches and movable through the space between said layers in a horizontal direction transverse to the linear path of movement of said layers to feed articles into frictional contact with at least one layer, said notches when between said layers opening in the direction of 1 movement of said layers, whereby the articles are removed automatically from said notches by and moved with said layers.

15. A packaging machine including means for continuously linearly feeding layers of packaging material in a horizontal direction and in vertically spaced superposed relation, mechanism having a portion movable into and out of the space between said layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers, said portion having and moving article carrying pockets in an arcuate path that intersects the linear path of movement of said layers, said pockets being formed to permit frictional contact of said articles with at least one layer, each pocket also opening in said direction of movement of said layers when the pocket is at a predetermined point between the layers, and the speed of movement of said pockets being approximately equal to the speed of movement of said layers, whereby the articles are removed automatically from said pockets by and moved with said layers.

16. A packaging machine including means for folding a strip of packaging material longitudi nally into two layers and feeding said strip horizontally with said layers in vertically spaced superposed relation, mechanism having a portion movable horizontally between the free edges of said layers intoand out of the space between the layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers and in a path that intersects the path of movement of said layers, said portion of said mechanism having pockets to convey and deposit articles between said layers in frictional contact with at least one thereof.

17. The packaging machine set forth in claim 16 wherein said portion of said mechanism carrying said pockets moves the pockets in an arcuate path.

18. The packaging machine set forth in claim 16 wherein said portion of said mechanism carrying said pockets moves the pockets in an arcuate path, said pockets being formed to permit frictional contact of said articles with at least the lowermost layer, each pocket also opening in said direction of movement of said layers when the pocket is at a predetermined point between the layers, and the speed of movement of said pockets being approximately equal to the speed of movement of said layers, whereby the articles are removed automatically from said pockets by and moved with said layers.

19. A packaging machine including means for folding a strip of packaging material longitudinally into two layers and feeding said strip horizontally with said layers in vertically spaced superposed relation and the space between them normally less than the thickness of an article, mechanism having a portion movable horizontally between the free edges of said layers into and out of the space between the layers at a certain point in the travel of said layers and in a path that intersects the path of movement of said layers, said portion of said mechanism further separating said layers at said point and having pockets to convey and deposit articles between said layers in frictional contact with both of said layers, whereby the article after insertion thereof between said layers is held against movement in all directions relative to the layers by said frictional contact of the article with the layers.

20. The packaging machine set forth in claim 19 wherein said pockets are formed to permit frictional contact of the articles with both of said layers, each pocket also opens in the direcin'on of movement of said layers at a predetermined point between the layers, so that the articles are automatically removed from said pockets by and moved with said layers.

21. The packaging machine set forth in claim 19 wherein said pockets are moved in an arcuate 1 path between said layers and are formed to perlayers, each pocket also opens in the direction of movement of'said layers at a predetermined point between the layers and the speeds of movement of said pockets and said layers are so related that the-articles are automatically deposited between said layers from said pockets and moved by the layers away from said portion of said mechanism.

LEROY L. SALFISBERG. 

